On the properties of zeros of Bessel series in the real line

For a given sequence of real numbers (Formula presented.), we define the function (Formula presented.) where (Formula presented.), (Formula presented.) denotes the Bessel function of order µ, and (Formula presented.) are the positive zeros of  (Formula presented.). In this paper, we study the function (Formula presented.) and some outstanding instances of it on the whole real line and propose a number of conjectures about its positive zeros

TOY: A System for Experimenting with Cooperation of Constraint Domains

AbstractThis paper presents, from a user point-of-view, the mechanism of cooperation between constraint domains that is currently part of the system TOY, an implementation of a constraint functional logic programming scheme. This implementation follows a cooperative goal solving calculus based on lazy narrowing. It manages the invocation of solvers for each domain, and projection operations for converting constraints into mate domains via mediatorial constraints. We implemented the cooperation among Herbrand, real arithmetic (R), finite domain (FD) and set (S) domains. We provide two mediatorial constraints: The first one relates the numeric domains FD and R, and the second one relates FD and S

ABA-overproduction response under salinity

[SPA] Con el fin de comprender la influencia de la fitohormona ácido abscísico (ABA) en la adaptación al riego salino, dos líneas transgénicas independientes de tomate (Solanum lycopersicum L.), sp12 y sp5, que sobreexpresan constitutivamente el gen NCED1 (codifica para la enzima que cataliza un paso limitante en la biosíntesis de ABA) y la variedad silvestre Ailsa Craig, se han estudiado en experimentos o bien i) como planta entera o ii) como portainjerto bajo condiciones control y de estrés salino. Aunque la expresión constitutiva de NCED disminuye el crecimiento bajo condiciones control, minimiza los efectos producidos por la sal (planta completa) y mejora significativamente el crecimiento cuando se usa como portainjerto. El análisis de la savia xilemática de raíz mostró que los fenotipos resultantes bajo las diferentes condiciones de cultivo eran difíciles de explicar en términos de sobreproducción de ABA. Para intentar explicar estos resultados se llevó a cabo un análisis de expresión de un conjunto de genes relacionados con hormonas y estrés mediante PCR cuantitativa, así como un estudio transcriptómico mediante microarrays en la raíz. Los resultados sugieren que la sobreexpresión de NCED parece alterar diversas rutas de señalización, derivando en una respuesta adaptativa al estrés que podría ayudar a explicar los fenotipos observados. [ENG] With the aim of better understanding the influence of the plan hormone abscisic acid (ABA) in adaptation to saline irrigation, two independent transgenic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) lines, sp12 and sp5, overexpressing constitutively NCED1 (the enzyme that catalyzes a key rate-limiting step in ABA biosynthesis) and the wild type Ailsa Craig, have been studied in experiments either i) as whole plants or ii) as rootstocks under control and salinity conditions. While NCED overexpression penalizes growth under control conditions, it minimized the effect of salinity (whole plants) or significantly improved plant growth and yield when used as rootstocks. The analysis of the root xylem sap revealed that the phenotypes resulting under the different conditions were difficult to explain in terms of ABA overproduction. With the aim of explaining these results, the expression of a set of hormone and stress associated genes (analysed by real time PCR) as well as a transcriptomic analysis (by using one-color microarray) were performed in roots. The results suggest that NCED overexpression seems to alter several signalling pathways leading to stress adaptive responses that could help to explain the observed phenotypes.The authors thank Andrew J. Thompson from Cranfield University, the NCED seeds set. This work was supported by CICYT-FEDER (project AGL2011-27996) and European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 289365(ROOTOPOWER project)

Root ABA signalling in salinized tomato

[SPA] Con el fin de comprender la influencia de la fitohormona ácido abscísico (ABA) en la adaptación al riego salino, dos líneas transgénicas independientes de tomate (Solanum lycopersicum L.), sp12 y sp5, que sobreexpresan constitutivamente el gen NCED1 (codifica para la enzima que cataliza un paso limitante en la biosíntesis de ABA) y la variedad silvestre Ailsa Craig, se han estudiado en experimentos o bien i) como planta entera o ii) como portainjerto bajo condiciones control y de estrés salino. Aunque la expresión constitutiva de NCED disminuye el crecimiento bajo condiciones control, minimiza los efectos producidos por la sal (planta completa) y mejora significativamente el crecimiento cuando se usa como portainjerto. El análisis de la savia xilemática de raíz mostró que los fenotipos resultantes bajo las diferentes condiciones de cultivo eran difíciles de explicar en términos de sobreproducción de ABA. Para intentar explicar estos resultados se llevó a cabo un análisis de expresión de un conjunto de genes relacionados con hormonas y estrés mediante PCR cuantitativa, así como un estudio transcriptómico mediante microarrays en la raíz. Los resultados sugieren que la sobreexpresión de NCED parece alterar diversas rutas de señalización, derivando en una respuesta adaptativa al estrés que podría ayudar a explicar los fenotipos observados. [ENG] With the aim of better understanding the influence of the plan hormone abscisic acid (ABA) in adaptation to saline irrigation, two independent transgenic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) lines, sp12 and sp5, overexpressing constitutively NCED1 (the enzyme that catalyzes a key rate-limiting step in ABA biosynthesis) and the wild type Ailsa Craig, have been studied in experiments either i) as whole plants or ii) as rootstocks under control and salinity conditions. While NCED overexpression penalizes growth under control conditions, it minimized the effect of salinity (whole plants) or significantly improved plant growth and yield when used as rootstocks. The analysis of the root xylem sap revealed that the phenotypes resulting under the different conditions were difficult to explain in terms of ABA overproduction. With the aim of explaining these results, the expression of a set of hormone and stress associated genes (analysed by real time PCR) as well as a transcriptomic analysis (by using one-color microarray) were performed in roots. The results suggest that NCED overexpression seems to alter several signalling pathways leading to stress adaptive responses that could help to explain the observed phenotypes.The authors thank Andrew J. Thompson from Cranfield University, the NCED seeds set. This work was supported by CICYT-FEDER (project AGL2011-27996) and European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 289365(ROOTOPOWER project).. -2010-5 European Union)

Characterizing of steel used in the construction of civil works in Almería

Se realizaron varios ensayos sobre las barras de acero utilizadas en la construcción de obra civil en Almería, durante el período comprendido entre 18/1/2000 y 7/05/2001, con el fin de caracterizar, mecánicamente, los diferentes tipos de aceros (soldables: B400S, B500S y soldable dúctil: B400SD) y, de esta fonua, determinar si existe alguna razón técnica para un incremento del consumo del acero soldable dúctil. Para ello, se ensayaron a tracción todas las muestras que llegaron al laboratorio, siguiendo las normas UNE 7474-1: 1992 y UNE 7474-2:1992. Los resultados indican que el acero B400SD cumple, sólo, en un 86 % los límites especificados en la norma UNE 36065:1999 -EX, frente al 95 y 94 % de los aceros B400S y B500S. Además, el acero soldable dúctil muestra unos valores medios inferiores al B400S. Este hecho discrepa de lo que se podría esperar según la norma que lo regulaVarious tests have be en conducted on the steel bars used in the construction of civil works in Almería (Spain) during the period 18 ]anuary 2000-7 May 2001, with the aim of mechanically characterizing the different types of steel (weldable: B400S, B500S and ductile weldable: B400SD) to determine whether there is a technical reason for the increase in the use of ductile weldable steel. For this, we have used a hydraulic machine to break by traction all the test samples that arrived to the laboratory, following the specifications of the UNE 7474-1:1992 and the UNE 7474-2:1992. The results indicate that only in 86 % of the cases does the steel B400SD satisfy the limits specified by the UNE 36065:1999-EX, as opposed to 95 and 94 % of the B400S and B500S steels. In addition, the ductile weldable steel registered mean values lower than those of B400S. This finding disagrees with expectations set by the specifications

Factors affecting mortality of shearwaters stranded by light pollution

Every year and across the world, thousands of fledglings of different petrel species crash into human structures because they are disorientated by artificial lights during their first flights. As this phenomenon is rather predictable, rescue cam- paigns are organized to help birds to reach the ocean, but unfortunately, a low proportion gets hurt or dies. Despite the huge number of affected individuals, and the fact that the problem was detected a long time ago, little is known on this source of mortality. We have studied the factors (i.e. body condition, plumage development, fledging date and sex) influencing the mortality of Cory’s Shearwa- ter Calonectris diomedea fledglings stranded inland due to light pollution in Ten- erife (Canary Islands) during two consecutive breeding seasons (2009 and 2010). Late fledglings showed lower values of a body condition index than early ones. No sex biases were detected, neither considering stranded birds overall, nor for recov- ery dates or in the body condition of rescued fledglings. Our results indicate that late birds stranded by lights showing abundant down are more susceptible to fatal collisions and that the lights do not selectively kill birds with lower body condition indices. An enhancement of veterinary care should be done during the last part of the fledging period when more fatal collisions occur, especially focused on fledg- lings with abundant down. More research to determine why some individuals end up disoriented around artificial lights and others do not is urgently needed to minimize or prevent fallouts.Peer reviewe

Interaction between ABA and cytokinins in salinized tomato plants

Abscisic acid (ABA) and cytokinins (CKs) are phytohormones that mediate plant responses to abiotic stress and are mainly considered to be produced in roots. These two plant hormones have long been considered antagonists, but the role of this antagonism in mediating abiotic stress resistance remains unknown. In this study we have used reciprocal grafting of transgenic lines with altered hormone synthesis (ABA or CK synthesis) with the aim of assessing the importance of ABA and CK interaction in mediating plant salinity responses in tomato. Preliminary results have shown a negative effect in ABA and CK on tomato plant biomass under salinity. Results have also indicated that jasmonic acid (JA) might be involved in the negative impact on tomato growth caused by ABA and CK interaction under salt conditions.The authors thank Andrew J. Thompson, from Cranfield Univertity (UK), and Ann C. Smigocki from Molecular Plant Pathology Laboratory (EEUU) the NCED and IPT seeds sets respectively. This work was supported by CICYT AGL2011‐27996 and ROOTOPOWER (REF: 289365. FP7‐KBBE‐2011‐5 European Union)

Hydroformylation of synthetic naphtha catalyzed by a dinuclear gem-dithiolato-bridged rhodium(I) complex

This work focuses on the use of a gem-dithiolato-bridged rhodium(I) Rh 2(µ-S 2CBn 2)(cod) 2 complex (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene, Bn 2CS 2 2- = 1,3-diphenyl-2,2-dithiolatopropane) dissolved in toluene in the presence of monodentate phosphite P-donor ligand (P(OPh) 3) under carbon monoxide/hydrogen (1:1, syngas) atmosphere as an effective catalyst for hydroformylation of some olefins (oxo-reactions). The capability of this system to catalyze the hydroformylation of hex-1-ene, cyclohexene, 2,3-dimethyl-but-1-ene and 2-methyl-pent-2-ene and their quaternary mixture (synthetic naphtha) has been demonstrated. This innovative method to perform the in situ hydroformylation of the olefins present in naphthas to oxygenated products would be a promissory work for a future industrial catalytic process applicable to gasoline improving based on oxo-reactions. An important observation is that variation of CO/H 2 pressure (6.8-34.0 atm), temperature (60-80 oC), reaction time (2-10 h), rhodium concentration ((1.0-1.8)x10 -3 mol/L) affect hydroformylation reaction rates. Optimal conversion to oxygenated products were achieved under Rh = 1.8 x10 -2 mol/L, P(CO/H 2) = 34 atm (CO/H 2 = 1:1) at 80 oC for 10 h

Towards an in-plane methodology to track breast lesions using mammograms and patient-specific finite-element simulations

In breast cancer screening or diagnosis, it is usual to combine different images in order to locate a lesion as accurately as possible. These images are generated using a single or several imaging techniques. As x-ray-based mammography is widely used, a breast lesion is located in the same plane of the image (mammogram), but tracking it across mammograms corresponding to different views is a challenging task for medical physicians. Accordingly, simulation tools and methodologies that use patient-specific numerical models can facilitate the task of fusing information from different images. Additionally, these tools need to be as straightforward as possible to facilitate their translation to the clinical area. This paper presents a patient-specific, finite-element-based and semi-automated simulation methodology to track breast lesions across mammograms. A realistic three-dimensional computer model of a patient''s breast was generated from magnetic resonance imaging to simulate mammographic compressions in cranio-caudal (CC, head-to-toe) and medio-lateral oblique (MLO, shoulder-to-opposite hip) directions. For each compression being simulated, a virtual mammogram was obtained and posteriorly superimposed to the corresponding real mammogram, by sharing the nipple as a common feature. Two-dimensional rigid-body transformations were applied, and the error distance measured between the centroids of the tumors previously located on each image was 3.84 mm and 2.41 mm for CC and MLO compression, respectively. Considering that the scope of this work is to conceive a methodology translatable to clinical practice, the results indicate that it could be helpful in supporting the tracking of breast lesions

Fracturas de Astrágalo: Evaluación Clínico-Quirúrgica

Se han revisado 13 pacientes diagnosticados de fractura de astrágalo recogidos en nuestro Servicio de Urgencias y tratados quirúrgicamente en todos los casos. De ellos se ha realizado un seguimiento clínico y radiológico. En el 46% de los casos se obtuvieron resultados satisfactorios (23% excelentes y 23% buenos). Los restantes se repartieron entre regulares (38%) y malos (16%). La necrosis avascular apareció en 3 de los 13 casos, discutiéndose el origen de esta seria complicación. Siguiendo la clasificación de WEBER, los tipos de fractura más frecuentes fueron el tipo III (38%) y el II (31%). La congruencia articular postquirúrgica del astrágalo fracturado y el tiempo de demora en la cirugía que debe ser de urgencia, se muestran como factores a considerar en la evolución ulterior del "Aviators astragalus". Se discute así mismo el valor del signo de Hawkins.Areview of 13 patients diagnosed of Talus fracture has been colected in our service of trauma emergency. All of them have been managed by surgical methods and clinical and radiologically followed up. Satisfactory results wer e obtained in 46% of the cases (23%, excellents and 23%, good results). The rest wer e regular (38%) and bad (16%). Avascular necrosis was observed in 3 of the 13 cases, discussing the origin of this serious complication. The most frequent types of fracture were type III (38%) ant type II (31%) following Weber's classification. The postsurgical articular congruency of the fractured talus and the delayed time on the surgery which must be an emergency, seem to be factors to conside r in the later evolution of the "aviators astragalus". The value of Hawkins sign is also discussed